


The Snow Queen's Legacy

by Rustythedragon



Category: Ever After High, Frozen (2013)
Genre: Crossover, F/F, Fluff, post-Dragon Games
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-17 19:18:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9339407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rustythedragon/pseuds/Rustythedragon
Summary: Anna is excited about following her destiny to be the next Gerda in the fairy tale The Snow Queen. But when she meets Elsa, the future Snow Queen, she finds destiny might not be all it's cracked up to be. Characters from Frozen set in the Ever After High universe. Elsanna, unrelated.





	1. For the First Time in Forever After

Gather around friends and let us tell you a story of Ever After High, a high school for the teenage sons and daughters of the most famous fairy tale characters who ever lived. A new semester is about to begin, bringing with it new students from yet another fairy tale, The Snow Queen. Our chapter begins with two of these new students, Anna Rose, the daughter of Gerda and Kristoff Anderson, the son of Kai, decorating Anna's new dorm room with a peculiar surprise...

"It's perfect!" Anna took a step back, admiring the handiwork of herself and her best friend. A large throne of ice stood in the corner of the room, beautifully carved with ornate geometric patterns. It stood out against the rest of the wooden furniture in the room — two sets of a bed, dresser and a desk, one in white and soft pinks and the other in black and purple. Other than that, Anna hadn't taken much time to put any personal touches in her room. This project had been more important.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Kristoff said as he packed up his ice carving tools.

"Don't be silly," Anna dumped the last of the ice shaving over the balcony before turning to her friend, "what future Snow Queen would not love her own ice throne in her room?"

"Anna, I can't help but think you're getting carried away with all this." He stood, wiping the last of the melted shavings from his hands onto his pants. "Who says she'll even want to room with you?"

"Too late! Headmaster Grimm approved it. Just like with Apple and Raven. You know, the daughters of Snow White and the Evil Queen. They're getting along great, and they're totally friends."

"And you think that's a good thing?" Kristoff gave her a skeptical sideways look.

"Why not? They're an important part of each other's story. Besides, they can keep an eye on each other and make sure that neither one strays from their legacy."

"From what I've heard that isn't working so well, what with Raven starting the whole rebel against your destiny thing."

"We're all free to chose," Anna said, but couldn't help the dry feeling in her mouth. Other students could do what they liked, but Anna was Grimm-bent on following her destiny. "And I'm going to make sure the daughter of the snow queen choses the right way."

"By becoming her BFFA?"Kristoff laughed. "Only you would think that's a good idea."

"Oh come on," Anna needled him. "Aren't you curious what kind of person she is?"

"I'll have plenty of time to find out while I'm trapped in her ice palace thanks." His face fell as he stuck his hands under his arms and began studying the curved tips of his boots.

"Please don't start Kristoff. I hate it when you get all mopey about your destiny."

"Look, I don't hate it or anything. I know I'll get a happy ending, but it's going to be boring at best. You're the one who gets to go on all those cool adventures while I sit around and wait to be rescued. Not to mention the whole freezing my heart thing. I can only imagine how that's going to feel."

"Then imagine how good it'll feel when I melt that ice and we get to live happily ever after."

"That's the only thing I'm not worried about." Kristoff finally relaxed. "If anybody can save me with the power of love it's you." He sighed, running a massive hand through his shaggy blonde hair. "I still don't see why we couldn't room together."

"OK, as much as I love you, and I'm used to being around you, I don't want to smell your dirty sock pile. Besides, no matter how progressive people say they are, there's no way they'd let a teenage boy and girl room together."

"Has anyone actually read out story? There's nothing romantic going on between us, and to be honest, the thought weirds me out. You're too much like a sister for me to think of you  _that_  way."

"I know that and you know that, but everyone else always needs convincing. We were practically raised in the same house. One step over the window sill, just like our parents, but people don't seem to get that, especially here. Boy plus girl equals romance, even if they're not into that sort of thing."

"This school needs to take a long hard look their gender policies."

"You're just mad you have take Damsel in Distressing class aren't you?"

"How is that a thing? What are they going to teach me, how to wait for Prince Charming to arrive? Perhaps I should get some perfumed handkerchiefs to give to all the heroes lining up to rescue me." Kristoff made an effeminate gesture with his hand.

Anna giggled. "Look on the bright side, you'll probably be the only guy in a class full of girls."

"You always see the upside don't you?"

"Every gutter can grow a rosebush, as Mom used to say."

"But every rose has its thorns too."

A soft knock came from the door. "Excuse me, do I have the right room?"

A girl opened the door and entered, placing her bags delicately on the floor by her feet. At the sight of her Anna felt like she'd been winded. She was tall and fair, with beautiful, sky blue eyes. She moved with a soft grace that spoke of royal lineage, but she was dressed rather plainly in a dark purple dress and jacket (though the embroidery on the dress was very fine work). Her strikingly blonde hair was tightly bound in a bun and she was wearing gloves. That last detail struck Anna as odd as it was awfully warm out.

The girl took a step inside. "I'm Elsa Winter daughter of the..."

"The Snow Queen!" Anna squealed, her mind grinding back into gear. "You're here! This is it! You're here, I'm here, we're all here—" Anna forced herself to stop by taking a deep breath. It wouldn't do to start babbling incoherently in front of her future story mate. She straightened herself up and walked towards the girl with her hand outstretched. "I'm Anna Rose, Gerda's daughter, and this is Kristoff Anderson, Kai's son."

"There must be some mistake." Elsa made no motion to take Anna's hand, but instead glanced back and forth between Anna and Kristoff, looking somewhat bewildered.

Anna's heart fell. Maybe Kristoff was right and the future Snow Queen wanted nothing to do with them. She retracted her hand, letting it tuck in a stray strand of hand behind her ear. "Um, no, this is your room. With me. You're rooming with me. Headmaster Grimm approved it and everything. Insisted, actually."

Elsa's shoulders relaxed slightly and she looked thoughtful. "I see. I didn't think the administration would put us together. How odd."

"I should get going." Kristoff's voice held a bit of an edge to it, and he made to move towards the door.

"You don't have to go." Anna reached out for him, but one look from Kristoff made her think better of it and she stopped in her tracks.

His expression softened a little as he grinned at Anna. "I have a lot of things to get ready for tomorrow and I'm guessing you two do as well. I won't get in the way." With that, he moved to the doorway and both he and Elsa sidestepped around each other in an odd way without looking at one another.

Elsa's expression was cold and unreadable, her eyes looking at something over Anna's shoulder, but not quite focusing. Anna could only guess what she was thinking.

"Ugh, Kristoff you big dummy," Anna said once her friend was gone. "I'm sorry, he's just nervous. I mean, what with you destined to freeze his heart and all, who wouldn't be nervous, am I right?"

Elsa's cool expression cracked and Anna thought she saw fear flit through the other girl's eyes. Anna bit her tongue. Perhaps Kristoff wasn't the only one who was nervous about his part in their story. Elsa began fidgeting with her gloves, but didn't move from her spot near the doorway.

Anna couldn't stand it any longer and marched forward, picking up Elsa's bags and carrying them inside. "Well, let's get you settled. Oh yeah, we – both Kristoff and I – made you a surprise. Ta-da!" Anna dropped the bags on Elsa's side of the room and waved at the ice throne.

As Elsa walked into the room and saw the ice throne, a smile finally broke on her lips. It was so warm and pleasant, Anna felt as if the temperature in the room had gone up. Elsa stood in the center of the room, hands clasped in front of her, looking regal yet shy and said, "You didn't have to do anything for me."

"Nope, we didn't have to, but well... we thought it might make you feel at home."

"That's very kind but," Elsa pointed at a rather large puddle that was forming on the flagstone floor as the ice throne melted, "I'm afraid I don't see a drain in our room."

"Whoops, I did not think far ahead." Anna scratched her head, trying to think of a quick solution to this small setback.

"Don't worry, I think I can fix it." Elsa pulled a glove from one of her hands and held it over the puddle. With a flick of her wrist the water crackled and turned to ice.

"Whoa!" Anna jumped forward. For all intents, she knew she be moving away from the dangerous ice magic, but she was more curious than afraid. "Is that your magic?"

"Yes." Elsa smiled, but it was weak compared to how genuine it had been a moment ago. "You look so impressed, but I assure you, freezing a puddle of ice melt is not a big feat. Anyway, I think I can prevent the chair from melting for now, but perhaps we should rethink the decor?"

Was that her way saying she didn't want the gift? Elsa was so polite that Anna couldn't tell if she meant something else. Anna would have given it more thought, but there was something more pressing than puzzling out Elsa. There was now a large, fun looking patch of ice in their dorm room.

"Do you think you could make a skating rink in our room?" Anna asked. "That would be fablelous!" She tested the patch of ice with her toe. It seemed solid enough and nothing weird or magical happened when she touched it. She put one foot down on the ice and pushed off with the other, sliding effortlessly across the patch towards the throne. Anna giggled, but now she was stuck in the middle of a patch of ice and it was a lot smoother than it first looked. She tried walking off of it, but couldn't find her footing. Instead she began to slip. Trying to get her footing only made it worse and Anna found herself struggling to keep her balance. Suddenly, her feet flew from under her as she slipped hard on the ice. The throne came rushing up to meet her head.

Anna expected to hit the throne hard, or at least to hit the floor, but there was a flash and a puff of white and Anna landed in something soft and cold. Snowflakes drifted down from the ceiling as Anna pushed herself up from the pile of snow she'd landed in. Snow covered the floor around her and more fell on her hair and cheeks. Everything was still, the way it is in the forest in the dead of winter, with only the sound of snow packing underneath her as she righted herself.

Elsa's gloves lay on the floor at her feet. She stood, very still, arms outstretched, fingers splayed, breathing heavily. She looked slightly wild and fearful, but as she breathed, her neutral, controlled expression returned. "Are you alright?" Elsa asked lowering her hands.

Something unpleasant clicked in Anna's mind. "Wait, did you just... did you just  _save_  me?"

"You were going to hit your head."

"Oh no! Nonono, please don't tell me..." Anna struggled to get to her feet, but thankfully the layer of snow covering the ice gave her some traction. Once on her feet, she looked squarely at Elsa. "You're evil right? You are the Snow Queen's daughter? You're not planning on being like... like..."

"Like?" Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"Like Raven. A Rebel. Please tell me you're going to fulfill your destiny!"

"I..." Elsa went rigid and all kindness drained from her face. "Of course I am. Don't be ridiculous. I'm the future Snow Queen, destined to freeze your best friend's heart, steal him away and..." Elsa's voice cracked slightly, "and taunt him with his freedom. And I'm going to do it well."

"Are you sure about that?" Anna had to ask. There was something about Elsa's speech that wasn't entirely convincing.

Elsa waved her hand in the air and the snowflakes stopped. She sat on her bed, letting out a breath and slumping forward, her arms wrapping around her waist as if she was holding herself together. "I'm not exactly the model evil daughter am I? I should have let you fall and laugh maniacally while doing so, but I... I couldn't."

Anna sat beside her on the bed, careful not to get too close. "But you want to fulfil your destiny right? You  _want_  to play your part in our story?"

"I do... I'm just afraid I won't be able to. That's why I'm here, to learn to be the model villain and daughter."

"No pressure or anything." Anna tried to make light of Elsa's expectations.

"Anna, my magic is dangerous and hard to control. If I don't do things exactly right... there's a fine line between lodging a splinter of ice in someone's heart enough to make them follow you or killing them outright. If something goes wrong, I could kill your friend."

"Wow. OK, that would ruin the story. I'm sorry I was joking about it. But you're good with your magic right? You're fast anyway. Talk about reaction time with that snow pile." It was the best thing Anna could think of to say. She hadn't exactly seen much of Elsa's magic yet and she didn't really understand the other girl's motivations.

"Thank you for trying encourage me, but don't worry. I'm not going to freeze your friend's heart before I'm certain I can do it properly. I'm going to make sure my end of the story plays out flawlessly. I promise you that."

"I'm sure you will." Relief began to undo the knots forming in Anna's stomach. "No, I know you will. You'll do it Elsa and you'll be a great Snow Queen." Anna took a deep breath and extended her hand once more. "Whatever it takes. We're both committed to our story, and we'll figure it out together."

Elsa reached out but gently pushed Anna's hand aside. Her fingers were cold and Anna felt a shiver run up her spine at the contact. Her skin still tingled even when Elsa withdrew her hand.

"Together is a bad idea," Elsa said, looking away. "I'm sorry Anna, but I think it's better if we don't get... friendly."

Anna felt as if she'd been punched in the chest, but she wasn't about to give up. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me.

Elsa laughed. "It would seem I won't be able to escape you."

The remark should have cut deeper, but there was a slight tinge of warmth through the sarcasm along with something about Elsa's grin that made it feel more like a private joke than a true rejection. Anna smiled in spite of it all. She would not be daunted. This was only the beginning of their story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I want these characters to follow the original "The Snow Queen" fairy tale, there are still some liberties I need to take to make things work. Most notably, Kristoff isn't affected by a shard from the troll mirror, but rather a shard of Elsa's ice magic. More will be explained in future chapters.
> 
> This whole thing started with a conversation with mustesydan a long time ago. They're responsible for getting me into the EAH universe and for the idea behind this story.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think in the comments. :3


	2. Be the Bad Girl You Always Have to Be

Elsa was up at the break of dawn on the first day of classes. She was normally an early riser, but this was a bit much, even for her. However, try as she might, she couldn't get back to sleep. With a sigh, she tossed the black covers back from her bed and decided to prepare for the day. Anna was still asleep, rolled into a giant lump of pink blankets on her bed. Elsa did her best not to wake her, slipping out and making her way to the bathroom before any of the other students awoke.

Rows of sinks and mirrors stretched far and wide through the palatial bathroom. Elsa went about her routine in comfortable silence. Unlike many of the other Royal students, she didn't put much stock in appearances. What was the point? Fancy dresses and make-up wouldn't make her any better with her magic. Then again, Elsa was still a princess and expected to conduct herself accordingly. She washed her face and did her hair up in its usual tight bun. She checked herself in the mirror once more, to make sure nothing was out of place before heading back to her dorm room to dress in the same purple dress and jacket she usually wore.

She had several similar outfits, mostly deep blues and purples. Villainous students were encouraged to wear black, but other dull colours were deemed acceptable. Elsa could never bring herself to wear only black, and felt her choice of colours were drab enough to be dignified but not distracting. She took a look at herself in the full length mirror on her side of the dorm, wishing she could dress even plainer and fade into the background. But that wouldn't do. Elsa dressed as simply as her station allowed.

She opened the doors to their shared balcony to let in some fresh air, but was taken by the scene. The sun rose over the hills, pouring light into the valley of the school. For the first time since arriving, Elsa felt homesick. As lovely as the Ever After High castle was, with its tall turrets and banners streaming in the wind, it didn't hold a candle to her mother's ice palace. She loved this time of day at home, when the sun would peak over the horizon and the crystal walls of the ice palace filled with all the colours of the rainbow: glaring blues, soft pinks, garish green and sunny yellow. The thick stone walls surrounding her felt more stifling than welcoming and Elsa forced herself to turn away from the view of the balcony. She decided to check her schedule one more time. Maybe she even had some time to go over one of her hextbooks before class. It was still a bit early to go down to breakfast.

Elsa picked up one of her books and sat on the edge of her bed, but she couldn't focus on the book. Nerves about her first day rose up in her like a tide. She watched the lump that was Anna on the other side of the room. The pile of blankets rose and fell gently as she slept.

Elsa thought of their story. She would abduct Kristoff one winter's day, then freeze his heart and bring him to her ice palace far in the north. There she would keep him until Anna found him. It was Anna's destiny to go on a long journey fraught with danger to find her friend, but Anna had everything she needed to succeed in her good nature. People would help her along the way and her love for Kristoff would be strong enough to melt the most powerful ice magic. Then the two friends would go home and live happily ever after.

Elsa pondered the tale. It never mentioned what happened to the Snow Queen when all was said and done. She would be out somewhere in the world when Anna came calling, spreading winter to other lands, or so the tale went. There would be no direct confrontation, nor would she seek revenge. Her magic would be melted and that was the end of her part. But then stories tend to focus on the heroes and what happens to them. No one ever really wants to know what happens to villain, only that they're thwarted and good wins in the end.

There was some comfort in that thought though. After she played her part, Elsa supposed she was free to do what she liked. Free to make her glorious ice kingdom. She wondered what kind of kingdom she would build. The possibilities were as endless as the designs of snowflakes.

But first she needed to play her part and to do it, she needed to master her magic. It crackled across her fingers under her gloves like electricity, but thankfully, the magically imbued material of her gloves helped to keep her magic contained. The truth was that Elsa's magic had a wild streak and it was powerful — possibly even more powerful than her mother's. She needed help to keep it under control. It also became more unruly when she was distressed. Elsa had been taught very strictly as a child how to control her emotions, but truthfully, her composure ran only skin deep. She was good at keeping a straight face, but on the inside, there was always a storm raging, begging to be let out. She hadn't found a way to master her magic yet, but she was hopeful the instruction at this school would provide her with some wisdom her mother could not. She was counting on it.

Anna's MirrorPhone chimed cheerily on her bedside table. A minute passed, but the lump didn't move and Anna made no attempt to shut off the alarm.

"Anna?" Elsa got up and tentatively walked towards her roommate, but didn't dare cross the invisible threshold of the centre of their room. "Are you getting up?"

The lump groaned. "Wut time izz it?"

"Your alarm went off. It's the first day of school. I don't think you want to be late."

The blankets tore to one side and Anna sat blot upright in bed. "The first day of school! This it it. I can't be late."

Elsa had to put a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. She'd never seen anyone with such a crazy case of bedhead before. Unfortunately, Anna caught the gesture.

"Don't laugh! I'm not some crown-flipping princess who wakes up immaculate." She waved at Elsa.

"I did not wake up this way—"

"Nor do I have an army of forest animals at my beck and call who rush in first thing in the morning to help me with my hair."

"That's a thing?"

"Haven't you seen Apple White? She has an army at her command." Anna was so sincere, Elsa had to consider such tales to be true. "All she has to do is sing. Can't you do that?"

"Me?" Elsa laughed, genuinely without restraint. "Very funny Anna."

"I thought..." Anna looked at her curiously from her bed. "Well, you're a princess. I'm just a peasant, one who gets to go on a fantastic adventure, but still just and average everyday girl. I thought maybe since you're a princess... but maybe it only works for 'good' princesses."

"Which I am not," Elsa gently reminded her. "Therefore, no army of cute creatures to do my bidding."

"Have you ever tried?" Anna swung her feet over the edge of her bed and began rummaging through her things on the nightstand.

"I don't sing. And don't ask me to." Elsa said in a tone she hoped would close the matter.

Anna shrugged, grabbing a brush from the pile on her nightstand and began to work out her massive tangle of hair. "So, what's on your schedule for today?"

Elsa sighed, pulling out the piece of paper and smoothing it out against her desk. "First up is General Villainy, then Environmental Magic and... I still can't believe this class is mandatory."

Anna bounced over to Elsa's side of the room (completely unaware of any boundaries she might be crossing) to look at the schedule. "They stuck you in Damsel in Distressing? I've heard all female students have to take at least one semester, even the villains."

"How progressive." Elsa felt a little spark of frustration light in her. "It makes no sense for me to take it. What a waste of time. Wait, what about you? Are we in the same..." Elsa couldn't bring herself to ask.

"Nope!" Anna beamed, her smile lighting up the room. "I get out of that one thanks to my story, because I get to take Hero Training and it's at the same time. Oh I can't wait. It's going to be so awesome."

Elsa couldn't help but warm to Anna's enthusiasm. "You sound excited."

"Of course. School is going to be fun. I mean, maybe not every class will be fun, but that's part of the adventure." Anna paused, searching Elsa's face for something. "Isn't there something you're excited about?"

"Well yes, come to think of it, but Experimental Fairy Math isn't until later in the week."

"Wait, you're excited about math?  _Experimental_  math?"

"What's wrong with mathematics?"

"I hate math! Mom had to twist my arm to get me to sign up for Crownculus. She insists I get a well rounded education."

"I was going to take that class, but I'm afraid my advisor interfered. She thought my schedule looked a little too heavy, so she insisted I take at least one course I might find easier." But the truth was that Elsa didn't know or care about courses other than magic. She hadn't known what to pick. "She suggested Muse-ic so I took it, though I don't know what good it'll do me."

"Oh good! We have at least one class together."

Elsa's heart dropped. Muse-ic kept looking less and less like an escape and more like a trap. It wasn't that she didn't like Anna. Actually, she had the opposite problem. She didn't want to get attached and with Anna already in her living space, Elsa was ill at ease around the girl. "What am I going to learn in Muse-ic class?" she said in her snarkiest tone. "How to prance around my ice palace and sing evil songs to myself?"

"Maybe it will be fun."

Elsa didn't have time for fun. Or at least the kind of things everyone else considered fun. She was still a bit upset that no one else seemed to think mathematics would be fun.

"Well," Anna continued, "at least I'll get to see you in Muse-ic class, and maybe at lunch?"

"Anna," Elsa took a deep breath and faced her roomate. She needed to do something about this crazy notion Anna had that they could be friends. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Right, wouldn't want to ruin your image."

Elsa would take that excuse. "Yes. Um... good luck with Hero Training today." That was a thing a villain would say to the hero in their story right? "I'm counting on you."

Anna gave a thumb's up. "I'll do my best, and you too Elsa. Kill it in General Villainy! Er... maybe not kill, just main slightly..."

"Don't worry Anna, I'll do my best." Elsa began to collect her things for class. Perhaps she could escape Anna by going down to breakfast. She just wanted another moment alone, like she'd had on the balcony this morning, but there was no point in dwelling on it. The day was starting and she couldn't avoid it any longer. It was time to start school.

* * *

Elsa descended the stairs to the dungeons. She had left early enough to find the General Villainy classroom, but got a little lost along the way. The knots in her stomach twisted. Breakfast wasn't sitting well. She didn't want to be late for her first class. Or was it expected of her to make a grand entrance? Did evil students do that? She shook the thoughts from her head. She didn't  _want_  to do that. She didn't want to bring the class to a halt and draw attention to herself. That was the last thing she needed.

Finally she found the door to the cauldron room where General Villainy was held and made a mental note of what was probably a closer staircase for next time. She entered the room.

"Ah, our new student." A large bipedal wolf dressed in a tan sheepskin coat (was that irony) shut the door behind her. He was the teacher, Mr. Badwolf. "You must be Ms. Winter. Take a seat."

If she could find one. Elsa scanned the class and the benches seemed to be full. There was one opening in the far corner. A girl sat alone at a long table big enough for two. As she got closer, Elsa noticed the girl's long black and purple hair hid a pair of earbuds. The girl doodled in her notebook and didn't look up when Elsa approached. She snapped to attention however when Elsa scrapped a chair back against the floor and sat next to her. The girl looked at her then in shock, pulling an earbud out of her ear.

"Is this seat taken?" Elsa asked, keeping her voice low. Mr. Badwolf had already started his lecture without waiting for the room to quiet. Elsa didn't want to be disrespectful, but she also didn't want to step on the toes of whoever she was sitting next to.

"No.. it's just..." The girl looked startled, but then she smiled. "You must be the new girl."

"How can you tell?" Elsa said wryly.

"Because no one in their right mind from this class would want to sit with me." She took her other earbud out and turned to Elsa. "I'm Raven, daughter of the Evil Queen."

" _The_  Raven Queen?" Elsa remembered the awe and fear in Anna's voice at the mention of this very girl. "Shouldn't everyone in this class be lining up to sit with you?"

"Don't tell me you haven't heard. I might be the daughter of the Greatest Evil Ever After Has Ever Known, but I kind of started this trend..."

"I've heard," Elsa admitted. "But I thought maybe you'd like to explain things to the new girl for yourself."

"Ms. Winter!" Mr. Badwolf appeared out of nowhere behind them. He snarled at her. "Talking in class and distracting your fellow student!"

Elsa froze, preparing herself for a scolding.

Then the wolfman stood back, looking pleased and said, "Raven, you could learn a lot from the new girl."

_Wait what?_

"Though perhaps she's so chatty because this course is too easy for her?" He rounded on Elsa once more, his lips drawn back in a grin that showed all his wolfish teeth.

Elsa's head spun. On the one hand, acting out seemed to be encouraged, but on the other, she was sure this teacher would demand respect in his own way. "No sir," she said, "I'm sure you will provide some enlightening material, eventually. I'll be sure to pay attention."

"Cheeky," the wolfman growled, but his grin widened. "I've got my eye on you Ms. Winter. We expect bad things from you." Then he made his way up to the head of the class, continuing his lecture where he left off as if he was used to constant interruptions. Perhaps he was. Perhaps he even enjoyed them a little.

Elsa's heart beat hard against her ribs. She hadn't meant to defy a teacher in the first few minutes of class. Maybe she was better at this villainy thing than she thought. Or maybe she was simply distracted by the curious girl next to her. Raven Queen was infamous in this school, but not for what she was supposed to be infamous for. Elsa knew shouldn't talk to her. She should stay as far away as possible from the girl who dared question her destiny and everyone else's.

A note slid toward Elsa under the table. She took it, holding it in her lap. For a moment she agonized over reading it. Perhaps she should throw it away and reject this girl's attempts to talk to her, but her fingers began to unfold the paper.

"What other classes do you have?" it read.

Elsa cast a discrete glance at Raven. The other girl was glued to the lecture, or seemed to be. Elsa took out her schedule from her bag and laid it on the table in between them so Raven could see it. It took a moment before Raven chanced a look, but when she did she smiled.

Another piece of paper made its way to Elsa under the table. "We have a lot of the same classes. Do you want to sit with us at lunch?"

Elsa was shocked. She didn't know why Raven would invite her. Then there was the issue of how Elsa should respond. It would be rude to say no, but would saying yes cement her social standing in a hierarchy she didn't yet understand? Already she'd had two offers, one from Anna and one from Raven to join their social groups at lunch hour. Her instinct told her not accept either invitation, that she should sit by herself and not even attempt to make friends...

Another piece of paper poked her thigh under the table. Elsa had been so lost in thought, she hadn't noticed it at first. She took the note and opened it. "You don't have to. I understand... better than you think."

Elsa glanced at Raven. The girl didn't seem upset by her apparent refusal, though she did seem a bit too focused on the lecture. Elsa knew that kind of distraction well. She scribbled a reply on the back of the paper and deftly slid it under the table toward Raven. She didn't look at the other girl but felt when the paper left her hand and a moment later there was the quietest exhale from Raven.

The paper said, "I accept your invitation to lunch."

* * *

The ceiling of the castleteria vaulted three stories overheard, held up by the trunks of many massive trees. Floor to ceiling windows ran along one side making the room light and airy. Across the floor and over terraces sat hundreds of students eating their lunches at tables large and small. Elsa stood a pace from the entrance, marvelling at the way the trees intertwined with the construction of stone and glass.

Frantic foot steps clattered up behind her and Elsa turned to see Anna jogging up to her. "Oh hey!" Anna tucked a strand of hair behind an ear. "I'm glad I found you. How are classes going?"

"Fine." Elsa thought keeping things to one word answers would be best.

"I was just thinking, if you were looking for someone to sit with, you could join me and Kristoff and—"

"Anna..."

"I know, I know. You've got a reputation to maintain, but I thought maybe you'd—"

"Anna!" This was getting out of hand. Elsa needed to put her foot down. "I have another invitation for lunch. I'm sorry." She cringed, uncertain if she should be apologizing or not, but felt unable to help herself when she looked at Anna.

"Oh." There was beat where Anna looked disappointed but she composed herself. "That's alright. You should probably hang out with the evil kids or something. I didn't mean to cramp your style, but I didn't want you to have to eat alone if you didn't want to, but maybe you wanted to in case... um, who are you eating with? Out of curiosity."

"Hey Elsa, thanks for waiting." Raven approached them from the hall. "I can show you around if you want, or we can just grab the grub and head to our table."

Anna's mouth dangled open in the most undignified way. "You're sitting with Raven Queen!"

Raven smiled, but it was nervous as if she was expecting Anna to run away screaming. Then again, maybe that was something that happened often.

Instead Anna rounded on Elsa. "You can't! Elsa, you know about her right? She's the one who destroyed the Storybook of Legends so none of us can sign it anymore."

"That's right." Raven folded her arms over her chest, but spoke calmly. "I did destroy the Storybook of Legends, so we'd all be free to choose our own destinies. Look, I'm not here to tell anyone else what to do. It doesn't mean you can't follow your destiny if you want, it just means everyone is now free to make that choice for themselves."

"You're sure you didn't invite Elsa to sit with you because you're planning on converting her to rebel against her destiny?"

"I asked her to lunch to see what she's like. That's all. No hidden agenda, I promise."

Elsa couldn't help but feel a mutual curiosity. Raven didn't seem at all like the picture others painted of her, and yet they all seemed to avoid her or be scared of her. Perhaps getting to know the daughter of the Evil Queen would be beneficial.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you Anna," Elsa broke in, "but I've already accepted Raven's invitation. I'm not saying I'm going to make a habit of it mind you... just for today." That should shut down everyone's inquires the fastest. Perhaps tomorrow she could find a way to eat by herself, though that was looking less and less likely. Never in Elsa's wildest dreams had anyone fought for her attention. It was both exhilarating and terrifying.

"Right, well..." Anna took a step back. "If you change your mind, we won't be hard to find." She left them alone at the entrance and went into the castleteria on her own.

"She's persistent." Raven grinned. "Reminds me of Apple."

"I had heard something to that effect." Elsa followed as Raven lead her into the castleteria. "Snow White's daughter right? You two room together? What's with putting us together with our hero counterparts?"

"I suspect it has to do with keeping an eye on us and encouraging us to follow our destinies. Apple's always been very insistent on that, but to be honest, I think it backfired. At least in my case. Apple's my friend and I would never want to hurt her."

Elsa felt a lump form in her throat as she realized that was exactly what she was afraid of. "And no one else sees the clear conflict of interest?"

"I think they might be a bit blind to it. Do-gooders always try so hard to see the best in people." Raven guided them around the food selection. "So, does that mean you want to follow your destiny?"

"I do," Elsa said and was relieved to find that she meant it. "Of course I do, I'm just..." Elsa stopped herself. This was dangerous. She didn't know yet what kind of girl Raven was, whether she'd keep her mouth shut on private matters or not. "I suppose I feel like I'm not quite ready yet."

"That's natural. I don't think any of us are ready at this age, though maybe there's a few keen hearts out there. Relax Elsa, you don't have to perform your story tomorrow."

"I'm glad about that. My magic is tricky at best."

"Trust me, I know all about that. Mine usually backfires whenever it's not used for evil, though what the magic considers evil is kind of iffy."

Elsa was surprised. Not only had she never met anyone her age with powers as great as hers, she'd also never heard anyone speak about the struggle of controlling their powers. Raven spoke so openly and honestly about it, Elsa longed to blurt out her own frustrations, but she held them in check. She had always been taught to conceal any difficulties she might have had. It was best not to talk about it. "You don't want to follow your story though, so Raven, what are you going to do with your powers?"

"I haven't decided yet," Raven said, looking very happy about the fact that she had yet to make a decision. "Some people get scared by the idea of thinking off script, but I find it hexciting. I can't wait to figure it out for myself."

"I suppose I'm more of a traditionalist." Elsa admitted, feeling shy about her desires.

"There's nothing wrong with that. Lots of my friends want their destinies... but some of them don't and it hurts to watch them struggle."

Elsa would have thought such things were none of her business, but Raven was full of interesting surprises. "You're a curious person Raven Queen."

"Not what you were expecting? It's OK. You don't have to hang out with me if you don't want to." Raven joked, but there was a bit of sincerity behind her words as well.

"On the contrary, I find you interesting, and despite my roommate's trepidation, you don't seem to be concerned with converting me to your wild Rebel ways."

"It's a slow process," Raven joked. "I have to wear you down a bit first, before implanting the idea in your head."

They got their food, then Raven brought Elsa to a table where two girls were already sitting. The first girl was made out of wood and introduced as Cedar Wood, Pinocchio's daughter. The other girl wore a red hood and cape and was called Cerise, no doubt Little Red Riding Hood's daughter.

Elsa sat at the table and was about to start eating but got distracted by Cerise's atrocious table manners. The other girl scarfed up her food from her plate as if she were half beast, but Raven and Cedar seemed to ignore this. Elsa caught herself staring and looked down at her own food. She should probably make some quip, but she couldn't help but feel that it wasn't her place to pass judgement on others.

On the bright side, Cerise ate so quickly that she finished her food in no time and was sitting back on the bench, rubbing her full belly and examining Elsa. "So, what classes you got?"

"Most of the ones I'm in," Raven answered for her, "though I did see Damsel in Distressing on her schedule, so you two will probably become friends."

Elsa had to pause and swallow her bite of sandwich before she felt she could speak. "I'm really not sure why that class is mandatory."

"Because this place is spella old fashioned." Raven rolled her eyes. "It's hard to get people to change. I'm so glad I got that class over with last semester."

"What about you Cerise?" Elsa looked over the hooded girl. She hardly looked the part of a Damsel. In fact Cerise looked as if she could probably take on the big bad wolf herself. "Is this your mandatory semester as well?"

"No, I'm stuck with it always." Her voice turned a bit husky, almost a growl. "My story requires it. Can't get out of it, no matter what I do." Then she waved her hand in front of her face and in her flattest most deadpan voice said, "Save me Hunter Huntsman."

"Don't say that too loud," Raven warned her. "He might hear you and go all hero pose on us."

"I can't say I'd mind, especially if it involves some of Hunter's famous shirt ripping," said Cedar, "and I cannot tell a lie." She looked briefly at Elsa. "Seriously, I'm cursed to never lie. You should probably know that about me."

Elsa laughed. "I take it you don't get asked for advice a lot?"

"You'd be surprised. Some people like knowing the truth about certain things and others avoid me like the plague."

That sounded handy. Elsa made a mental note that Cedar could be very useful in a variety of situations, though she had to admit the girl also seemed like she might be enjoyable to hang around with. Elsa didn't linger on that thought. "So are you all Rebels then? I'm really not sure how the term is defined."

"No one is." Cedar said. "There used to be a sort of commoners vs royals tension, but the Rebel thing started when Raven refused to sign the Storybook of Legends. No one had openly defied their destiny before and it created a whole bunch of chaos. But to answer your question, a lot of us are labelled Rebels just from our association with Raven, I think. I want to follow my story. I can't wait to be a real girl! But I'm not a princess or anything and Raven is my friend so..."

"So the labels are arbitrary?" Elsa asked trying to see where she might fit. "Is this something one needs to get involved with?" Elsa hesitated to ask. It was probably best if she didn't get involved in school politics, but she might be forced to deal with them regardless.

"See," Cerise explained, "you're technically a princess which makes you royal, but you're evil, which makes you sort of not a Royal..."

"But I plan on following my destiny," Elsa wanted to be clear, "so does that put me on the Royal side of things?"

"Well, you are kind of hanging out with the riff-raff." Cerise grinned and Elsa noticed she had awfully big teeth.

"Am I supposed to sit with the princesses then?" Elsa asked, unable to hold back a sliver of sarcasm.

Raven shrugged. "It doesn't really matter. Sometimes I sit Apple. Honestly, there's no hard and fast rules. Sit with who you want and call yourself what you want."

Elsa pondered Raven's words, which seemed to echo her philosophy on life. Do what you want. Raven was independent and defiant, which Elsa couldn't help but admire, perhaps even envy. All Elsa really wanted was a quiet lunch by herself with no social obligations, but that didn't seem like it was going to happen any time soon.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter felt so much shorter while I was writing it, but in editing, I think I realized just how much I tried to cram into one chapter. It could almost be broken into two, but I've done all the work, so you might as well read it now. I know there's a lot of info dumping in this chapter too, since I want everyone to get acquainted with the universe. It's a lot of set up. Bear with me?
> 
> Speaking of the EAH universe, a few notes:
> 
> \- Experimental Fairy Math is an actual course from the books. Apple takes it. (I can't help but feel like Apple White is a super nerd). Anyway, I thought it screamed Elsa.
> 
> \- There's some discrepancy between the books and cartoon as to who is in Damsel in Distressing class. Raven is seen taking the class in one of the webisodes, with no explanation why. I made the course mandatory for all female students because I couldn't think of any other reason why Raven would have to take it, since she's a villain and it isn't a part of her story.
> 
> \- All class names come directly from the books or cartoons, but there is a bit of a discrepancy sometimes with the name and who teaches it depending on the version of the story. I'm probably going to pick and choose whatever I think sounds best and be consistent with it.
> 
> I hope things are enjoyable so far. Feel free to let me know what you think. :3


	3. There's Damsels and There's Danger Here

Damsel-in-Distressing class was held in a room in one of Ever After High's highest towers, however the room was anything but distressing. Soft lighting illuminated a spacious room filled with comfortable furniture meant for lounging. Velvet sofas and plush chaises spread through the room instead of normal classroom desks and chairs. The temperature was controlled as well. That wasn't something someone would normally notice, but temperature was Elsa's business. The room was cool, but comfortable. There was even a tray of refreshments on a table in the centre.

Elsa wondered how she was supposed to take notes while being fetchingly draped over a chaise, but perhaps that was the point of the class. She would have to learn to take notes or do whatever it was they did in this class while looking every inch the princess. Maybe this wouldn't be as easy as she thought. She looked at the tall glasses of mint iced tea and the plate of miniature thronecakes wondering if she was expected to partake or abstain.

"You can help yourself if you'd like something." A curvy girl with incredibly pale skin approached Elsa. She wore a cute red and white dress and a crown shaped tiara sat on her pretty blonde curls. "You must be Elsa Winter. We haven't met, but as Student body Co-president, I would like to formally welcome you to Ever After High. I'm Apple White, daughter of Snow White."

Apple moved and spoke with the practiced grace all Royals are brought up with, but when she reached out a hand to Elsa, a bird flew in through an open window and perched on her outstretched finger. Apple giggled and spoke to it gently, "Silly, this isn't time for that. Off you go now." The bird flew away with a dejected tweet.

Elsa stared. Was that normal? Should she look impressed or ignore what happened? Worse, Apple was still holding out her hand. It would be rude not to take it. She wasn't sure she could get away with being rude to someone so important to the fairy tale world, but the magic tickled against her skin under her gloves. Instead Elsa slid into a practiced curtsy and said, "A pleasure to meet your majesty."

Apple clapped her hands together before pressing them to her cheek. "Oh you are a delight! I was hoping you would be. Royalty sticks together at this school regardless of destiny."

Elsa felt a twisting in her stomach. This felt a lot more like recruitment that Raven's lunch offer.

"So," Apple continued, taking a glass of iced mint tea and heading to a sofa, "I happened to see the class list for Experimental Fairy Math and noticed you're taking it too. We'll have two classes together, isn't that fablelous!"

"You're taking Experimental Fairy Math?" Elsa sat on the couch beside Apple. Normally she wouldn't sit so close to someone else, but the other girl had mentioned their math class with such enthusiasm, it piqued Elsa's curiosity.

"Oh yes!" Apple looked genuinely excited. "I took the introductory course last term and loved it. It's not a very popular subject and I don't know why. It's fairy fascinating."

Elsa felt the tickle of magic under her gloves, but it wasn't the normal fearful kind. It felt more playful than nervous. "I was beginning to think there was no one else at this school who appreciated mathematics."

"Oh I love math! In fact, I'm hosting a study party after the first class as a refresher. Would you like to join us?"

The excited crackle of magic over her fingers stopped and was replaced with a cold stiffness. Now there was yet another invitation on the line. Elsa couldn't understand why everyone was being so friendly. But perhaps, just as her destiny was to be a loner, some students were destined to try to make friends with everyone they met. That made some sense, and yet, it didn't help Elsa decide how she should respond.

"You can get back to me about the study party. I understand you might be busy."

"No, I'd love to go!" Elsa blurted out then shut her mouth firmly. No one seemed to have noticed her outburst of enthusiasm, but she was shaken by it. She had never blurted out anything her whole life, but the excitement she felt was real and the words she said the truth. She would absolutely love to attend a party if a party meant discussing complex math problems. But the issue was  _should_  she?

"Great, I'll hext you the details after class."

Elsa nodded, trying not to smile too widely at Apple. It was hard though. She was still uncertain she was doing the right thing.

* * *

Kristoff jogged up the tower stairs. He knew he was late, but everyone he asked for directions either laughed at him or gave him a funny look when he asked where the Damsel-in-Distressing room was. He didn't have time to explain either, so he supposed he sounded like some weird pervert to half the school.

What a day. The morning classes had actually been fun. The school had a Beast Training and Care class where he made friends with a large scruffy reindeer named Sven. Anna had picked out a duck to look after and named it Quackers. She was in a great mood, until lunch. By the time they met up something had got Anna's back up and for once she didn't tell Kristoff about it. She didn't have to. There could only be one thing that would put Anna in a foul mood. Elsa.

A shiver ran up Kristoff's spine despite how warm he was getting climbing the tower stairs. Just thinking of Elsa creeped him out. There was something off about her. He could have handled some over the top villain, but Elsa was so quiet, he didn't know what she was thinking. That scared him. He hated admitting it, but he didn't like her one bit.

His mind began to fill with thoughts of ice as he climbed the steps. Would freezing his heart hurt very much? Whenever he asked his dad that question, he'd said it didn't hurt at all. Kristoff believed him when he was younger, but as he grew, he noticed more and more that little waver in his dad's voice when he said it would be fine and he wouldn't feel a thing. The magic would numb Kristoff to everything, cold, pain, reason and love. He hated that part of the story. He wished it didn't have to be that way, but he would do it, for their story's sake and for Anna.

Some warmth crept back into him at the thought of his best friend. The first part of their story had been great. He and Anna had grown up together, practically living on top of each other. Their rooms opened to the same gutter and the same small rose garden where they played as children. He was too big for the garden now, but the memory of it cheered him. If there was one thing he had faith in, it was Anna. He knew she'd climb mountains, cross seas and melt magic for him. And he knew without a doubt, from the bottom of his heart that she could do it. She would do it. He trusted Anna. Elsa on the other hand...

He put his worries aside as he approached the classroom door, but the door was closed and he could hear voices behind it. Kristoff groaned. The last thing he wanted was to barge into a class already in session. Being forced to take this class was humiliating enough, but now everyone would see him at the front of it because he was late. He put his massive hand on the delicate handle. It wouldn't pay to overthink it. He opened the door and stepped inside.

The class went silent as Kristoff bumbled into the room. Sure enough, everyone stared at him.

"Ah our other new student. Welcome Mr. Anderson. It's a pleasure to have with us." Thankfully, the instructor, a tall woman in a conical hat and veil named Madam Marion, didn't miss a beat and waved him into the room. "Please take a seat."

Then the giggles happened. Kristoff expected as much. He almost laughed himself. It was pretty funny. He was huge, burly and thoughtful — the last kind of person you'd expect to find in distress over anything, and yet here he was.

"Sorry I'm late I..." As he scanned the room for a seat, his gaze fell on the last person he wanted to see. "What is  _she_  doing here!" He didn't mean to sound so rude (or frightened), but Elsa was sitting right in front of him.

"Ms. Winter is our other new student this semester—"

"How is she a student? She's not a damsel, she's a... a distressor!"

Elsa at least had the decency to look embarrassed and Kristoff got the feeling that perhaps this course wasn't her idea.

"Settle down everyone and please take your seat Mr. Anderson." Madam Marion insisted.

Kristoff did as he was told, sinking into a plush chair and prepared himself for a lecture.

"Now," Madam Marion drew herself up and stood over the class, "let's get a few things straight before we start. Perhaps some of you do not know, but this school has certain requirements for students of various genders in order to graduate. Dated as those requirements are, they are still in effect. Ms. Winter is joining us as part of said requirement and Mr. Anderson is here because his story demands it. If you have an issue with the school's policies, unfortunately I cannot help you. You'll have to talk to the administration. In the meantime Ms. Winter will be reminded that she's here to learn about surviving distress not causing it."

Elsa looked up, cold and composed. "That won't be a problem Madam Marion."

"Good. And Mr. Anderson is not to be the subject of anyone's giggles either. Just because we don't typically find boys trapped in towers doesn't mean they can never find themselves in that situation. I'll not tolerate any jokes at Mr. Anderson's expense."

Kristoff sunk into his velvet seat, mortified. The giggles had been strangely comforting. Sometimes all you could do was laugh at a horrible situation and while he didn't want to be made fun of, not being able to joke at his own plight felt a bit overboard. Then again, he had to respect Madam Marion for her honesty. Might as well mention the elephant in the room on the first day instead of letting it get weird.

"Now," Madam Marion said and a bit of a twinkle returned to her eye, "if you've all got that out of your system, and I've got that out of mine, let's begin."

* * *

This was it, the moment Anna had been waiting her entire life for (well, aside from following her destiny). Yes, the moment of truth, the moment she had been born and bred for, Hero Training! Anna was so excited she was shaking as she approached the field where the class was held.

She arrived early and joined the students sitting on the grass chatting among themselves, but noticed they were all boys. Anna wondered if she would be the only girl. Her fairy tale was unusual in that aspect and even though she didn't have to slay any dragons or defeat any black knights, she did have a long journey to go on that rested as much on her courage as her hope of saving her friend. Her story's tests of her courage would be non-standard, but that didn't mean Anna wasn't keen to learn the classics of the profession. She'd always wanted to learn to use a sword and she'd had many fantasies about rescuing Kristoff from dragons. Maybe it wasn't quite her destiny, but it couldn't hurt to learn, right?

Their instructor, Professor Knight, stood on the field, reading over a list and shaking his aging head with his long, white beard ghosting over his old fashioned armour. He scowled at an old pocket watch dangling from his armour and looked like he was about to address the class when three more students walked onto the field, two boys and a girl.

Everyone turned and stared at the new arrivals and for good reason. Anna had never seen three more attractive people in her life, from the crowns (or tiara in the girl's case) on their heads to their congenial smiles. The three of them exuded charm and confidence like no one she'd ever seen. There was no doubt in Anna's mind the students were Royals, but there was a special kind of awe and respect the others seemed to give them that Anna couldn't yet guess at.

Anna's eyes drifted to the girl. Her pretty white and blue curls were tied back, but they still fell enchantingly around her shoulders. She was dressed in a sleek workout outfit which looked like it was made of out silver. Anna wouldn't be surprised if it was. It looked like it was worth more than her entire wardrobe.

She had hoped there would be another girl in the class, but not like this. This girl was incredibly beautiful and every single boy (besides the ones she'd arrived with) was staring at her. Anna was sure she wasn't worthy of being the dirt under the girl's stylish boots.

"Squires Charming! You are almost late," said Professor Knight, but he eyed the tallest boy, the most dashing of the three and perhaps thought better of the lecture he was about to give.

 _Wait, did he say "Charming?"_  Anna's mind raced. As in  _the_  Charmings? The most famous of fairy tale families? Anna had heard that there were a three Charming siblings in her year. What were their names again? They all began with "D" for some reason, Daring, Dexter and Darling. Anna looked over the tallest boy wondering which one he was. He was classically handsome, tall and fair with a smile that actually made her slightly dizzy to look at.

"Apologies Professor," he said as if the professor was an old friend, then sat at the edge of the field. "Please don't let us interrupt."

The professor harrumphed but added, "Thank you Squire Charming. Ugh. I suppose I'm going to have to use your first names now since shouting 'Squire Charming' all the time would be confusing. Two of you was confusing enough, but now I've got all three of you. Yes, there will have to be some changes."

The darker haired Charming boy with the piercing blue eyes and glasses went to sit next to Hunter Huntsman. Then the girl looked around the class. Her eyes fell on Anna and she smiled, and — oh sweet Fairy Godmother! — everything else somehow faded from of Anna's vision. She was too pretty to look at. But the girl didn't stop looking at Anna. In fact she walked over and sat beside her. Anna wasn't sure this was even happening. She knew she should say something, probably "Hi," but her mouth didn't seem to want to work.

"If I may have your attention!" Professor Knight bellowed and Anna stowed any thoughts of talking. "Now then, we have some new students in class this semester, so I'd like to remind everyone that even though this is a practical training course, some students here are extremely skilled," he nodded at the blonde Charming boy, "some of you are new," he looked at Anna, "and some are not so new but have yet to be tested."

Here he glared at the girl and snickers ran through the class. The old knight grinned as if he was about to issue some sort of challenge. "It's a pleasure to have you in class  _officially_  this time Squire Darling. Which reminds me, we'll be instituting an open visor policy before examinations this year. Not that any of my students would ever think of cheating, but it seems precautions now have to be taken."

Laughter rung through the field, but all Anna could do was stare at the girl beside her, wondering who she was and what she'd done. She was beautiful, petite, dainty as a flower, and yet, upon closer inspection, Anna could see well defined muscles under the workout clothes. Perhaps there was more to this Darling Charming than met the eye.

"Moving on," Professor Knight said. "Let's get the old blood pumping with a little demonstration of swordsmanship. If Squire Daring would be so kind to assist me."

The blonde Charming boy rose from his seat as if he was expecting to be called on. "At your service Professor Knight."

Anna watched the demonstration in rapture. She was utterly drawn in, and by the end she had to admit, the boy  _was_  pretty good. Then again he was a prince. No, not just any prince. A Prince Charming, a legend of the fairy tale world. Not only was he graced with a natural ability, but he'd probably been trained to do this since he could hold a sword. Anna tightened her hands into fists in her lap, feeling her nails digging into her palms. She'd never held a sword in her life.

"Now then," Professor Knight turned to his class, "let's see what you learned. Everyone take a sword from the rack. Yes, they're blunted. No fun in my opinion but something about insurance, school policy, blah blah blah. Harrumph! Anyway, you won't be getting sharpened blades until you've proven to me you can handle a sword correctly. Off you go now, pick a sword and line up."

Anna did what she was told, going to the rack and grabbing a sword. Oof! She could barely lift it. For Grimm's sake, swords were heavier than she'd thought. She knew they would have a weight to them, but not like this. She looked around for a smaller one, but they all seemed about the same size. Anna sighed, grabbed her hunk of steel and joined the line.

Professor Knight went through the class, pairing off the students for drill practice. When he came to Darling he said, "Hmm, why don't you pair with Ms. Rose."

Anna wanted to roll her eyes. Of course, the two girls would be together. Did she expect anything less? But she was quickly distracted by Darling walking towards her. The way she moved and held her sword spoke volumes. She wasn't at all awkward with it like Anna. In fact she looked as practiced as her brother.

"You're holding it wrong."

"Excuse me?" Anna knew Darling was speaking to her but was afraid to meet the other girl's eyes. Anna took a breath and forced her gaze up and was thankful her vision remained focused.

"Your grip." Darling pointed to Anna's hand clutching the sword handle. "May I?"

All Anna could do was nod. Darling stepped up close to her and Anna's head spun for a moment, until she remembered to breathe. The other girl adjusted her hand on the sword hilt.

"That's better." Darling stepped back and smiled, but then she looked worried. "You've never done this before have you?"

A prickle of shame ran over Anna's skin. "I haven't exactly had an upbringing that would allow me sword training." She cringed. Was she really being that rude?  _Get it together Rose. Hocus Focus!_ "I'm sorry. I'm just nervous, and a little irritated. They had to put the two girls together right? Wouldn't want to break a nail?"

Darling laughed but it was soft and demure and a little familiar. Anna realized it reminded her of the way Elsa laughed. Was that a princess thing? "Don't worry. I don't mind. It'll be nice to work with someone a little closer to my height for once."

"Except you probably know what you're doing." Anna tested the weight of the sword in her new grip. "I'm not going to be a match for you."

Darling shook her head and her curls bounced around her shoulders. "It's fine. This isn't about being a match for anyone, it's about learning and teaching. It's an experienced student's duty to help train those who are less skilled. If I can help you out Anna, I'm happy to do that."

"How do you know my name?"

"Squires on guard! Position one!" Professor Knight began calling out instructions and Anna didn't have time for questions.

She raised her sword like she'd been shown but it was heavy and her swings went wide. When Darling swung her sword on the other hand, she would have hit Anna each time, but she always pulled her swings at the last possible second. Anna was grateful. She was too slow with her parries and was sure she'd be covered with bruises if Darling hand't been so adept. Maybe being paired with her wasn't so bad after all. Darling also corrected her, often without words, just a tap or a push of her sword against Anna's arm or leg, correcting her posture or movement. They repeated the drills until Anna's arms ached and she wasn't sure she'd be able to lift her sword anymore.

"That's enough for today." Professor Knight finally called a halt. "If it were up to me, you'd be drilled until you drop, but school regulations and all that. On the bright side, this means we have time for a little sparring." A fire lit in his eyes. "Who would like to try?"

"If I may," Darling raised her hand.

Anna gaped. She was exhausted, but Darling hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Excellent! Who would like to take on Squire Darling?"

Anna thought she seriously heard a cricket chirp. Not a single brave prince or hero volunteered.

"I understand some of you may be reluctant to challenge a lady—"

"They're not afraid of hurting me professor. They're afraid I'll hurt them." Darling said in the sweetest tone imaginable.

 _Oh snap._  Anna felt a fire coursing in her blood at Darling's challenge. If only she were better at this, she'd step up, but as it was, she knew she'd be no match for Darling. It would seem, most of the class knew it as well.

"I guess this is where we put things to rest isn't it?" Her brother Daring stepped forward. He smiled but it looked slightly pained. "Don't think I'm going to go easy on you though little sis."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Darling's eyes sparkled and her grin went slightly feral. She looked like she was going to enjoy this.

"Very good." Professor Knight ushered them onto a chalked out square on the field and everyone gathered around the edges for the match. "Hmm, since the swords are not sharp, first blood is out. I suppose first hit will have to do, but we'll need some marshals. Squire Dexter, with me."

The brown haired Charming prince dragged himself to the field, looking like the last thing he wanted was to mediate a physical conflict between his siblings. Again Anna wanted to step up and help, but she felt utterly useless. She knew next to nothing about what the rules for this sort of fight would be.

Darling and Daring squared off and Professor Knight called out the challenge. The match began and true to their word, neither sibling held back. Swords clashed with such ferocity, Anna jumped from the noise. But neither had struck the other yet. Darling was smaller, but she was fast and accurate. However Daring parried her blows with a similar precision. The exchange went on for a while, then Daring landed a blow on Darling's side. Anna could see him pull his sword the way Darling had done during drills, but the blow still hit hard enough that Darling stumbled and almost fell.

Dexter frantically waved from the sideline and Professor Knight called a hold. "First blow! Well done Squire Daring. Squire Darling, better luck next time. Walk it off now, that's it."

Dexter ran up to his sister, but she waved him off. Apparently the only thing hurt was her pride. She did not look happy about Daring getting the better of her. She wouldn't look at him, but strangely he didn't look at her either. In fact he didn't look very pleased about his victory.

"That's enough for today. Thank you Squires Charming. The rest of you, think of what you learned from the match. Your turn on the field will come soon enough."

Anna tried to swallow but her mouth went dry. She was so not ready for a fight like that. What were the terms for surrender anyway?

"Squire Rose," Professor Knight approached her from the field, "it would seem that you could use some extra time with the swords. You'll clean up today."

Anna wanted to groan or protest, but somehow she didn't think Professor Knight would be moved. He seemed to be a fan of the school of tough love and she didn't think complaining would go over well. It was the end of the day anyway. She had nowhere to go and no excuses. She nodded her head and walked around the field picking up stray swords and going over to the rack to organize them.

It wasn't all bad though. She did find a few smaller and lighter swords now that she had time to go over them all. She put them at one end of the rack so she'd be able to find them again easily before going to gather up her things on the edge of the field. She grabbed her bag from the edge of the field and turned to leave, but stopped when she heard two people talking. Daring and Darling were walking toward her but they seemed oblivious to her presence.

"You didn't have to hold back you know," Daring said. He didn't seem angry however, just sad.

"I wasn't." Darling tried to sound sincere, but her voice wavered, betraying her.

"Don't Darling. I appreciate that you want to make me feel better, but... this isn't helping."

"I'm sorry Daring. I... Anna!" Darling finally noticed her. "Could you wait a minute, I wanted to talk to you. I just need to..."

"We were done anyway." Daring stepped away, looking down at his feet.

"Daring..."

"It's fine. I'm fine." He put on a charming smile, but it wasn't as bright as it was earlier. "I don't want to talk about it right now anyway and I wouldn't want to keep your friend waiting."

Darling looked like she wanted to say something but thought better of it and nodded, letting her brother leave without another word.

Anna was way too confused and afraid to ask what that was about. She didn't mean to overhear either, they just stumbled upon her and hadn't said anything. Maybe it would be best to change the subject. "So, you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes," Darling brightened and came up to Anna, "I wanted to thank you actually. I've been trying to all class."

"For what?" Anna was not aware she'd done anything special.

"Well, because of your story, and you being the hero in it, they finally had to open up hero training to girls. All I've ever wanted to be was a hero, and now, I can finally do that out in the open. So thank you for that."

"Aw, it's not like I did anything special. That's just how my story goes. Besides, you're so good at it, how could they not accept you into this class?"

"Thank you, but to be honest, I've had a lot of training. I've worked really hard in secret for years to be as good as I am, but I've always had to hide it. There was even an incident where I wore my brother's armour when he was sick. That's what everyone was laughing about earlier. I'm just happy I don't have to hide anymore."

"I can't believe someone as good as you would have to hide your abilities, but I'm happy something good has come out of this mess. I don't know if I'm cut out for sword fighting."

"If you want, I could give you some extra lessons. Consider it my thank you for helping me."

"You don't have to..." Anna caught herself. She was about to deride herself again, but this was no time to give up. "Actually, I'd like that. I'm going to need all the help I can get. But tell me something, by being a hero are you going against your destiny?"

"No," Darling looked away, the colour rising in her cheeks, "I have no predetermined story, and neither does one of my brothers, Dexter — he's my twin. Charming destiny is funny. We're the only fairy tales that don't follow our parents directly, because that would be weird. We get assigned to whatever stories need us. The boys are always expected to be a Prince Charming somewhere. Daring's the right age and fit for the new Prince Charming in Snow White. We all thought that would be his destiny. The Charming girls though usually become damsels or marry other royalty. That's the way it's always been and that's what was expected of us, but destiny might have other ideas. Like what happened to Daring..." Her expression fell, looking as pained as her brother's had a moment ago.

"Something happened?" Anna tread carefully. "Is it something I shouldn't know about?"

"Everyone already knows, so I can tell you, it's just hard to talk about. I..." Darling cleared her throat. "Let me give you the condensed version. There was an incident at the school last term. The Evil Queen, Raven's mother, broke out of mirror prison and wrecked havoc on us."

Anna nodded, she'd heard about the fiasco, but not about how it might have affected Daring.

"She was defeated and contained again," Darling continued, "but while she was out, she managed to poison Apple White with a poison apple. Just like in the Snow White story, Apple fell into a deep sleep. But we all thought it would be no problem to wake her. After all, we had Daring and his destiny was to be Apple's Prince Charming. He road in on a white steed and everything, the image of the perfect hero. But when he kissed Apple, nothing happened."

Anna couldn't believe it. "He's not Snow White's Prince Charming! That wasn't his destiny?"

"Apparently not. Even though we all thought it was."

"But wait... I've seen Apple walking around, so someone must have broken the spell."

"That's the part we don't talk about." Darling's shoulders rose up to her ears and she looked away.

"Darling, do you know... did you..."

"I have to go!" Darling began walking away. "I'm sorry Anna. I'll hext you about the extra practice."

Anna nearly burst from the questions bubbling up inside her, but one look at Darling and she was afraid to ask. The other girl looked frightened. But that was ridiculous. Darling was a natural hero, strong and brave. What could she possibly be afraid of?

* * *

Anna slumped forward resting her head on the table in the commoner common room. She and Kristoff had agreed to meet up after their first day but Anna had been late to dinner and hadn't been able to find him until now. She was exhausted. Hero Training was already catching up to her and her whole body ached from sword training.

"You gonna make it through Grimmnastics tomorrow?" Kristoff asked, poking her shoulder.

"I'll live." Anna mumbled into the wood.

"How was it though?" Kristoff pressed her. "Hero Training? You've been going on about it forever after. I'd thought you'd be gushing by now."

Anna didn't have the energy to gush. Besides, there were too many other thoughts swimming in her head. Darling and Daring Charming, sword training, Elsa, and destiny. Anna groaned lifting her head from the table. In a very small voice she said, "I suck at it."

Kristoff laughed. "Aw come on, it's only the first day."

"No, I really  _really_  suck at it." Anna propped her self up on her elbows. "I don't even know how to hold a sword."

"Isn't that what they're supposed to teach you?"

"Everyone else knows that stuff already. You should see them Kristoff! I'm in a class with a bunch of princes and heroes who've been doing this since they were knee high to a Jiminy cricket and I've never held a sword before. I suck."

"I thought you said there was another girl though?"

"Oh no," Anna wagged a finger at him, "don't you dare! She might actually be the best swordsman in class, and if not the best, definitely the second best. She's powerful, amazing and drop dead gorgeous." She slumped forward onto the table again, gently bumping her head against it for dramatic effect. "I'm like a sack of dragon droppings next to her."

"Hey," a hand patted her shoulder in reassurance, "you're  _my_  sack of dragon droppings."

Anna laughed. At least Kristoff knew how to make her feel better when she needed it most. She peeled herself up from the table. "What about you? How's the Damsel life treating you?"

Kristoff folded his arms over his chest and his lip curled. " _She's_  in the class."

"Who?"

" _Her_. Elsa for crying out loud! The wicked sorcerer who's supposed to put me in distress."

"Oh yeah," Anna sheepishly remembered, "I saw that on her schedule."

"And you didn't warn me!" Kristoff flung his arms wide, but his hands returned to run through his hair the way he did when he was nervous. "I made such a fool out of myself when I freaked out about it in class. I wasn't expecting to see her there."

"It's fine though. I'm sure she's not going to do anything to you in class. Give her a chance, maybe she's nice."

"Really? The girl who's been snubbing your attempts at friendship and is destined to freeze my heart is nice? Anna, I know you like to see the best in people, but how do you know Elsa has any good in her? Your trust in others is going to get you in trouble one day."

A spark lit in Anna's chest. "My trust in others is what makes me find you, so don't go dissing it." She calmed a bit and added, "Admittedly, it also gets me into some trouble on my adventures too, but you can't have one without the other."

"You're right." He sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you down, but I wish you'd see Elsa for who she is."

"And who is that exactly? You don't know her either." Anna had always thought that the parts they played in their stories determined some of their personality, but after talking to Darling that afternoon, she wasn't so sure anymore. She and Kristoff had always seemed such perfect fits to their story, but not everyone turned out to be that way. The more people Anna met at this school, the more she wondered what destiny really meant. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. Elsa's going to play her part someday, so give her a break."

"Easy for you to say."

"Easy?" Anna gave an exaggerated huff. "You're not getting the snot beat out of you by the damsels."

Kristoff grinned. "That might actually be fun."

"Pervert."

He laughed and got up from his seat at the table. "Come on. I'll carry you up to your room."

"I can walk," Anna said, but made no move to get up.

"You'd turn down a Kristoff piggy back?" he joked, but then he became serious. "Anna, what's wrong?"

"I don't want people to see." She looked around the common room. It wasn't packed, but there were several people there. "I'm a hero remember? If you swept me off my feet and carried me to my room like a damsel... I can walk."

"Since when do you care what other people think?"

Since Elsa, since Darling, since everybody. Anna forced herself up. Her legs ached in protest, but she stood. She had her pride after all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Thanks for all the comments so far! I love reading them and I love nerding out about stuff, so feel free to ask questions or let me know what you think!
> 
> I'm sorry there's so many notes, but the chapter is super long and there's so many things I feel I need an aside to:
> 
> \- In the cartoon Apple's quite thin, but in the books Apple is described as "plump." I'm rolling with that. Apple is also the biggest nerd I've ever seen. Not only does she get straight As in everything, throughout the cartoons and books she solves complex math problems with barely a second thought. She's canonically brilliant and I really appreciate the super nerdy bit of her character.
> 
> \- I am NOT calling anyone "Madam Maid Marion." The redundancy itches. The teacher is in fact Maid Marion, but I've decided she's past the "Maid" stage of her life and is now formally referred to as "Madam." That's my call and I'm sticking to it.
> 
> \- Darling often wears dresses, but she does have a training outfit in the books. She had to smuggle it into school because her parents wouldn't approve. It was woven in the "Elvish District," so I imagine it's expensive.
> 
> \- To anyone wondering what's going on with the Charmings, I recommend you watch Ever After High's "Dragon Games" special. You won't be disappointed. I promise.


	4. Don't Let Them In

"I've got a wicked plan that you have to get in on," Raven whispered to Elsa across their bench in General Villainy. Normally Raven didn't like to attract attention to herself and Elsa didn't think she was trying to distract her like she was supposed to. She looked too excited for that as she continued, "Well, it was Cerise's idea, but it's still awesome and you're coming with us."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?" Elsa looked mildly annoyed for Raven's benefit, in case Mr. Badwolf was watching them, though a feeling of apprehension grew in her gut.

"It'll be good for you, er... bad for you! And you're supposed to do bad things in case you need a reminder. But don't worry, this is going to look bad, but be a lot of fun. You and Cerise are ditching Damsel-in-Distressing this afternoon and I'm going to ditch Poison Fruit Theory — lamest class ever."

"You know I don't like the idea of missing class." Even though Elsa was expected to do bad things as a villain, she still had a hard time breaking any sort of rule.

"Come on. Riveting as Madam Marion's lectures are, I know you hate that class. Besides, once you hear where we're going, I don't think you'll say no."

Elsa gave Raven her full attention at last, cocking an eyebrow as an invitation to continue.

"We're going to spy on the Hero Training class." Raven kept her voice low, but her excitement was unmistakable. "Don't tell me you don't want to know how Anna's doing."

Elsa paused, the feeling of apprehension freezing and sticking in her throat. She did want to know how Anna was doing. Overwhelmingly so. Anna was always so vibrant when she talked about her classes, whether it was about teaching Quackers a new trick or how much she loathed Crownculus. But after the first week of classes had gone by, she'd stopped talking about Hero Training. Elsa couldn't help but notice, considering how excited Anna had been about it on the first day. It made her wonder if something was wrong with the class.

Elsa was grateful Raven had given her time to think about her response. She often sunk a little deeper into her thoughts than she meant to in order to find an answer, but she knew what to say. "You were right, that is a wicked idea. I'm in."

* * *

Elsa saw no discernible path through the woods, but Cerise seemed to know exactly where they going. The hooded girl stopped every so often to wait for Elsa and Raven to catch up, lifting her face to the trees and breathing in. Cerise was every bit the experienced woodsman. It was hard to believe she'd need anyone to rescue her from anything.

"We're close." Cerise pulled back a corner of her hood to look over her shoulder them. "There's plenty of cover, but remember, movement is what people will see so try to keep still when we get close to the field."

The Enchanted Forest, where the girls now found themselves, ran along the far edge of the training field, and according to Cerise, there was a perfect place to watch the field from the treeline where they wouldn't be seen. She knew the way. Elsa felt very covert sneaking through the trees, but the occasional giggle from Raven or Cerise brought her back to reality. This was as much a joke as a spy mission. Three girls sneaking up on the brave heroes unawares. It would be a game not to get caught.

More light penetrated the canopy as the field drew closer. Cerise motioned for them to be still while she darted ahead. Elsa lost her quickly in the sea of trees, but Cerise was back in almost no time at all. She waved them forward. "Now's a good time to move in. Professor Knight is grilling them about something, so they're all distracted. We should be able to get into position without anyone noticing."

'Position' turned out to be a comfortable thicket hollowed out close to the ground. The bushes at the edge of the treeline gave them cover, but it was easy to see through the spaces in between the branches. Elsa sat on a pile of dead leaves, letting the smell of the forest wash over her. She had a clear view of the field, though they were far enough away that no one would overhear them.

"This is hexcellent!" Raven settled in a spot beside Elsa.

"I told you." Cerise leaned back against a tree, putting her hands behind her head and her feet up on a protruding root. "I wasn't sure how quiet you two would be, but this was easier than I thought. Next time we'll make it a picnic."

"Next time?" Elsa asked. "You plan on doing this often?"

"Madam Marion doesn't mind." Cerise waved a hand dismissively. "Seriously, you should talk to her one on one if you get the chance. Sure she's part damsel, but she's also part thieving woodswoman. She understands better than she lets on how much a girl needs to stretch her legs sometimes. Honestly, I don't think her heart's in the curriculum, but a job's a job."

Elsa pondered her instructor's situation. "Wouldn't she have money, being a thief and all, or has she mended her ways?"

"That's part of the scandal. You know she split from Robin Hood? Yup, she's an independent woman now. I admire that about her, so I try not to give her too much grief, but still, I hate Damsel-in-Distressing. Who'd want to be in a classroom on a day like this when you could be sneaking through the woods and watching boys whack each other with swords."

Elsa laughed. "You wouldn't want to join the whacking? I bet you'd be good at it."

"Swords aren't my thing, but give me a basket or bookball and I'll run you into the ground. This should be entertaining though."

Shouting came from Professor Knight and the class split up into lines. Elsa scanned the students, but it wasn't hard to pick out Anna. Her fiery hair would stand out miles away, but she was also a lot smaller than most of the other students. She stood out like a sore thumb.

"Perfect timing," Raven peered over the bush in front of her, "they're about to start drill practice."

"Let the whacking commence!"

Elsa said nothing, but grabbed a branch from the bush in front of her. She was almost too afraid to watch, but the feel of the wood under her glove felt grounding. Surely no one would see them.

The sword drills started and they were basic enough, almost dull to watch. It was just a bunch of sword swinging. But as the sequence of moves got longer and more complex, Anna started to struggle. Her swings missed their target and she failed to deflect most of her partner's blows. Suddenly a blow to her leg caused Anna to stumble and drop to one knee.

Elsa clamped a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from crying out. She retreated back into the thicket so no one would see her. She couldn't stop the shaking in her hands and held them close to her body, willing them to stop, but that only seemed to make them shake harder. Her magic pulsed against the fabric of her gloves, begging to be let out, but this was no place for that.

Cerise shot her a worried look, her attention split between the field and Elsa. "It's OK, she's up again! She's fine Elsa, it wasn't bad. I mean it was bad form, but she's not hurt or anything."

The shaking subsided and Elsa found her voice. "Anna's not very good is she?"

"I wasn't going to say it, because there's no polite way of putting it, but yeah, she sucks."

There was both relief and strain in the confirmation. Finally Elsa had an idea what was bothering Anna, and yet it wasn't something she could do anything about.

Cerise chewed her lip. "Is that a problem for you story? Is that why you're worried?"

Elsa let out a pent up breath. "No. It doesn't matter if Anna's good with a sword or not. That's not a part of our story. What's important is her courage, resourcefulness and her deep devotion to never giving up hope. I'm sure there's a lot in this course that's optional for her to learn and yet, she was so hexcited about this class. I'm more worried about her ego than her ability. Poor Anna."

"Hey, it's only been a couple of weeks," Raven reminded her. "Most of the class has been doing this for years, so naturally they're going to look good, but that doesn't mean Anna can't learn."

"Besides, she's got spunk." Cerise nodded at the field. "I'll give her that. Knock her down and she gets right back up."

That was the important thing. Elsa crept back to the edge of the bushes and found Anna again. Sure enough, she was still fighting, or trying to. She stumbled again, but this time caught herself and yelled something at her partner before getting back in line and trying again. Elsa felt a funny warmth pricking at her heart as she watched. She knew Anna wouldn't give up, even when things seemed hopeless.  _That_  was her destiny after all.

Professor Knight interrupted the drills and the students broke apart heading to various edges of the field where their gear lay. Many of them picked up water bottles or towels to wipe sweat away from their swords.

Two boys came to the edge of the field close to the forest and Cerise elbowed Raven while pointing at them. "Those are two fine looking boys, don't you think? But which one is fairest?"

"You really want to play this game right now?" Raven folded her arms across her chest. "You know I'll defend Dexter."

"Of course. You're dating him. There's a clear bias."

"Obviously, but what's the deal with you and Daring?"

Cerise shrugged, but her cheeks gained some colour. "He's my bookball bro."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's all this is. You sure you want to start this argument again? You never win."

"Ah, but we've got a tiebreaker now!" Cerise shot a predatory grin at Elsa.

Elsa had a bad feeling about the way she was looking at her. "You want me to arbitrate something?"

"It's a running argument we have." Raven shook her head, trying to look disinterested, but failing to hide the little smile creeping up her lips when she looked onto the field. "You don't have to play."

"Oh yes she does!" Cerise wouldn't relent. "We're gonna settle this right now. See those two boys on the edge of the field? The two Charming brothers, Dexter and Daring. The ultimate question is, which Charming is fairest?"

Elsa studied the two boys as they took their break. She knew which one she  _should_  pick. The one who was classically handsome and outgoing with the blinding smile. The other boy was handsome but darker and bookish with thick rimmed glasses. The outgoing blonde was the one most girls would pick. Right? Elsa began to feel a tightness in her chest. This was a perfectly normal activity for adolescent girls, discussing which boys they liked. The problem was, Elsa wasn't normal. At least not in that way. Her taste in boys would be questionable since she found she really didn't have any. She held no opinions about boys and neither of the two on display appealed to her romantic interests. She also had the feeling that either way she chose, she'd have to defend her decision, which she felt ill-equipped to do.

As she deliberated over her response, a girl approached the two boys and began talking to them. Elsa was immediately distracted by long white curls falling over well sculpted shoulders. "Who's that?" she asked without thinking.

There was a pause where Raven and Cerise looked at one another and then they both fell back into the thicket laughing. A chill crept into Elsa's fingers and the magic began scratching against the fabric of her gloves. She must have said or done something stupid without meaning to. She tried to hide her embarrassment, but wasn't sure what exactly she should be embarrassed about.

"Elsa, you're not helping!" Cerise recovered quickly, wiping a tear from the edge of her eye.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Elsa said as calmly as she could, holding back the magic prickling against her skin.

"Well, you haven't solved the argument. It seems a different Charming caught your eye — that girl is Darling Charming — so now we have a three way tie!"

The magic crackling over Elsa's fingers grew painful, begging for release. This was not the time to be struggling to contain her magic, and yet her heart beat fast and her chest tightened, filling with fear. Had she been so obvious? No, they couldn't have seen that. She'd let her guard down for a split second, struck by the Charming girl's beauty, but that had been enough. They'd seen her interest. It was too late to hide it, and now they were laughing at her.

Elsa tried to hold the magic in, but even her gloves couldn't contain the swell sweeping through her. It began to leak beyond the protective boundary of the gloves and a small ring of frost crept out from where Elsa sat, covering the leaves and branches around her. She grabbed her shoulders, hunching forward, willing every fibre of her being to stop the spread of the magic, but the crackle of frost in the air frightened her and that made the magic even harder to contain. The frost grew, spiraling out towards her friends.

"Whoa!" Cerise jumped back, quick as a cat. "Elsa, calm down. We didn't mean it like that. I'm not... we don't..."

"It's OK." Raven said softly as licks of purple flame spouted from her hands, dancing protectively against the edge of Elsa's ice magic. "We weren't laughing at you, we swear. We're laughing because Cerise and I never seem to be able to settle our argument. We're not laughing because you got distracted by Darling Charming. If you feel that way, there's nothing wrong with that and we'd never make fun of you for it, I promise."

Raven sounded so sincere that Elsa believed her. She took a deep breath, shuddering as it entered her lungs before looking at the magic around her. Ice had begun to spread out from where she sat and frost hung in the air and on the foliage. Elsa took another breath and with it, forced the ice magic to dissipate into the air. Puffs of frost flew up from the leaves, but some of the plants didn't bounce back. They'd been hurt by her frost. She felt guilty for damaging the bushes, but there was little she could do except retract her magic. She hadn't wanted to use it at all, but she'd lost control of the magic and this is what happened when it went out of control around living things.

Elsa finally turned to Raven and Cerise. Both looked worried, but not about the frost. They were looking at her.

"I'm sorry." Elsa shivered, finding it hard to meet their eyes. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

"Tell me about it." Raven breathed out in relief and her own magic subsided. "I know. Magic has a mind of its own sometimes. It seems especially good at coming out just when you don't want it to. I've gotten better over the years at controlling it but—"

"You still don't want to be around her when she's angry," Cerise said. "And just so we're clear, it's not a problem if you like Darling, or don't, or whatever. And it's not a problem if you do and don't want us to tell anyone." She gave Raven a wink. "We're good at keeping secrets. Besides, it's not a big deal. Darling might even play for your team, but I can't tell you if she's available or not." She gave Raven a questioning look.

"Oh no!" Raven held up her hands. "Don't ask. Apple won't even talk to me about it. I think they need to sort this one out on their own."

"Apple?" Elsa was grateful for the change of subject. "As in Apple White? Is there something between her and Darling Charming?"

Raven sat back. "Did you hear about last semester when my mother tried to take over the school? Yeah well, there's this lesser known part to that chapter where she ended up cursing Apple with a poisoned apple. Wouldn't you know it, Apple went into an enchanted sleep. We all thought it would be easy to wake her though. I mean, it was Daring's destiny."

Elsa looked again to the field. The class was back in session, but it wasn't hard to pick out the handsome Daring Charming. Now there was an excellent hero. "So, he was destined to be Apple's Prince? What happened?"

"When Daring saw Apple," Raven continued, "he knew what he had to do. He rode in on a white steed and gave this killer monologue, but when he kissed Apple, she didn't wake up."

The other two went uncomfortably silent, so Elsa prodded them, "Was she supposed to?"

"We thought she would wake up, but nothing happened! Then... well, I wasn't there for what happened next." Raven looked to Cerise. "I had to go deal with my mom, which is part of what makes it hard to help Apple with this."

"I was there," Cerise volunteered, "but even then, I don't think I can explain it. I don't really get magic, but I can tell you what happened after Raven left. Apple was still asleep, but that's when things got weird. Suddenly she started gasping for air. We thought she was choking on the poisoned apple or something. So, everyone starts freaking out, but Darling rushes forward and like puts her head to Apple's chest and is like, 'come on Apple breathe!' And then, she starts to do CPR or something on Apple... Look, I don't know what happened, but Darling's lips touched Apple's and there was this bright flash of light and the next thing we know Apple's eyes open and she's awake!"

"Darling's kiss broke the spell!" Elsa gasped.

"That's one interpretation," Raven said. "No one really knows what happened though and Apple and Darling won't talk about it, so we're all left wondering."

"So gay." Cerise scoffed. "Not that there's anything wrong with that," she quickly added. "Poor Dare though. He hasn't been the same since. I've tried cheering him up, but like, his whole life he was told that this was the one thing destiny needed him to do and when it came down to it, he couldn't perform."

"That... that must have been hard." A dull pulse of magic beat through Elsa's fingers. "There's so much expected from us, what happens if we can't do what we're supposed to?"

"I don't believe anything happens," Raven said. "I believe we're all free to do what we choose."

"Still," Elsa couldn't shake her uncertainty, "what if you choose something, but you're not good enough to do it properly?" Elsa looked at her hands clutching them in her lap. "My magic should never have gotten out of control like that."

"So what made you lose control?" Raven asked. "If you can figure that out, maybe you can master it."

The thought had merit, but did Elsa want to share. She'd never talked about her magical problems with anyone except her mother. And yet, if Raven was on to something, maybe it was worth pursuing. She took a deep breath and tried to explain. "I thought I'd screwed something up when you both laughed at me. I didn't realize you were laughing at the situation. I felt afraid. Afraid you'd discovered something about me that I don't even have words to describe myself. You have to understand, growing up, we didn't talk about feelings in my home. Don't let others know what you're feeling. That was the golden rule in my house. But since I've come here, since I've started getting acquainted with more and more people, it's become harder to hide my feelings, especially form myself."

"Did you ever think maybe you shouldn't?" Cerise said. "OK, I'll be the first to admit that sometimes you have to hide things, but it sucks. Maybe you don't need to though, and if you don't need to, why would you?"

"I guess I'm afraid others will judge me." Elsa picked nervously at a glove.

"Or worse, get to know you?" Raven inched closer before nudging her with her elbow. "Maybe even like you?"

Elsa couldn't help but smile. "A terrifying thought for a future snow queen, I assure you."

"But it's causing you problems." Raven grew serious again. "If your magic is linked to your emotions and you're having trouble with your emotions, then you'd be having trouble with your magic too wouldn't you?"

"I hadn't thought of it that way. I've always tried so hard to control my fear by avoiding it, but that doesn't seem to be working. Would either of you know a better way to deal with emotions?"

Raven tapped her chin in thought. "Lucky for you, I think there's someone just right for the job."

Cerise grew excited as she caught on. "Are you thinking of the school's resident love expert?"

"Oh you have a troll?" Elsa asked.

Cerise and Raven looked at her as if she'd said something strange.

"No..." Raven recovered. "I mean we do, but that's not what I was talking about. I was thinking of Cupid, daughter of Eros, Greek God of love. She's all in tune with emotional stuff and she likes to give advice, so I think she'd help you."

Cerise snorted. "If you think trolls give good love advice, no wonder you're emotionally confused."

"Perhaps my education has been more lacking than I thought." Elsa had to admit, she was out of her element.

"Would you talk to Cupid?" Raven asked. "She's really sweet and I think it might give you some ideas on how to deal with your emotions."

The last thing Elsa wanted to do was talk to a stranger about her emotions, but her options were limited. If Raven was right about her emotions being tied to her magic then she needed to entertain possible solutions. Her story depended on it. She looked out over the field watching a tiny redhead fighting to learn something that didn't come naturally to her at all. Anna was trying her hardest, perhaps Elsa should too. "I'll talk to her."

* * *

Elsa found herself sinking into an overstuffed cream coloured chair in Cupid's dorm room. Her side of the room was all pinks and cream with gold accents in a classical yet cozy style. Soft fabrics draped from the ceiling and throw pillows were nearly everywhere. Instead of a desk, Cupid had a few chairs arranged around a coffee table with various camera equipment leaning against the wall. Actually, the camera equipment was all over both sides of the room since both Cupid and her roommate Blondie Lockes had popular MirrorCast shows. People could call in anonymously to Cupid's show and ask about their love problems, but Elsa wasn't comfortable admitting her struggles in such a manner. She was thankful Cupid agreed to see her outside of the show. Fortunately, Cupid regularly saw students on a personal basis as well.

"So, what can I do for you Elsa?" Cupid finally settled into the one red chair in the room, her wings fluttering once more as she settled. She brushed a strand of bubblegum pink hair behind an ear and gave Elsa her full attention.

"Thank you for seeing me," Elsa began, but paused looking around at the camera equipment. "Um, this is confidential right?"

"Of course. You asked for a private meeting and whatever we discuss will remain between you and me. Sorry, I should have packed up the equipment, but I didn't have time. None of it's on, I promise." Cupid jumped up grabbing one of the hanging pieces of fabric, pulled it from the wall and draped it over the equipment. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you." The covered equipment did ease her mind, but she still felt nervous. "I'm sorry, this is hard for me. I don't even know where to start."

Cupid nodded getting settled in her chair once more. "How about we start with what brought you here?"

Elsa hesitated. "It's embarrassing."

"That's a good thing though. It means we're getting to the root of the problem." There was a slight rustle to Cupid's wings. "Look, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, but I am going to encourage you to dig a little if we're going to work through this."

"I understand. Of course that doesn't make it any easier." Elsa paused, but Cupid waited patiently for her to talk, so she collected herself and began, "It started with this argument Raven and Cerise were having. Apparently it's one they have regularly."

"Let me guess, which Charming is fairest?" Cupid caught herself mid eye roll and blushed. "They go on about it often enough. So what happened?"

"They wanted me to be the deciding vote, except I... I got a little distracted."

"Distracted from the two most attractive boys in school? Do tell."

"That's the embarrassing part. Apparently there's a third Charming in school, and she distracted me from making a decision. I asked who she was and Raven and Cerise started laughing. I thought they were laughing at me, that they might be making fun of me for..." Elsa's throat closed around the words. It was hard for her to admit she'd been embarrassed about getting caught staring at a girl.

"It's alright." Cupid leaned forward giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure Darling Charming has turned more than a few girl's heads. She's certainly attractive."

Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. "I wasn't sure if you'd judge me for getting distracted by a girl."

"Not just any girl, a Charming girl! But even if she wasn't, let me be the one to tell you that there's all kinds of love out there and they're all valid. Some people like boys, girls, both, neither, people in between, the list isn't black and white. There's a whole spectrum of attraction and whatever you feel isn't wrong. It's you."

Elsa felt her shoulders relax. Cupid was turning out to be easier to talk to than she'd imagined. "I have to admit, it's a relief to hear someone say that. Fairy tales aren't well known for their inclusivity."

"Well, technically, I'm not a fairy tale, I'm a myth, but I understand what you're saying. Remember, love is my family's business. I know what I'm talking about and if anyone ever tells you otherwise, they're wrong." Cupid paused, studying her. "Was that what upset you? Cerise and Raven laughing at you? They should know better."

"Oh no, they weren't laughing at me," Elsa rushed to clarify. "I  _thought_  they were at first, but Raven explained that they were laughing at the situation because they never seem to be able to resolve their argument. I guess I didn't help by picking a third option. But that's part of it. I'm not really sure about my own feelings. We don't discuss feelings in my house, so I'm not sure what's happening to me sometimes."

"Just because you don't have the words for something doesn't make it any less real."

"No, but it does make it hard to express, and if I can't express what I'm going through, then I'm not sure I can find the solution to my larger problem." Elsa took a deep breath thinking how she wanted to word her true problem to Cupid. "You see, my feelings are tied to my magic. If I'm calm, the magic is calm, but if I'm upset, like I when I got upset over thinking I was being laughed at, then the magic gets out of hand. It's hard for me to admit this, but I feel like I have little control over it when I'm upset and controlling my feelings doesn't seem to work either. I'm not sure what to do."

Cupid nodded, and looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. "The thing about feelings is that they're not bad or wrong in and of themselves. Sure sometimes they can be unpleasant, but we have them for a reason and we need to listen to them and express them appropriately. It sounds to me like your problems might come from fighting your feelings. You're trying to hold them back, but that only makes things worse in the long run."

Elsa tightened the grip of her hands in her lap. "So what should I do?"

"You have to learn to accept your feelings instead of fighting against them."

"How in the world can I do that?" Elsa wanted to laugh. It was almost absurd to think about giving in to her feelings. "What if my magic goes out of control?"

"You're thinking too far ahead. I'm not asking you to become comfortable with your feelings overnight, but if you take small steps to get used to your feelings, you can gradually acclimatize yourself to accepting them, meaning you'll have less outbursts, and when you do, you'll be able to handle them better."

"That sounds like fairy tale magic."

Cupid laughed, but not unkindly. "It's not magic, just psychology. Do you think you'd like to give it a try?"

"I'll try just about anything at this point."

"Great. Let's go back to the incident with Raven and Cerise. Do you remember what you were feeling when your magic started getting out of control?"

Elsa recalled the incident to the best of her ability, but she knew the emotion she was facing well. "Fear."

"Right, so that's what we need to work on. What were you afraid of? Do you remember what you were thinking at the time?"

"So many things, but when I started losing control of the magic, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to control it and that I'd..." Elsa stopped. She didn't want to admit what came next. It wasn't very villain-like, but it was the truth. Cupid had promised this was confidential and so far she hadn't been judgemental. It was worth exploring. "I was afraid I'd hurt someone. When they started laughing, I was afraid my friends weren't really friends and that they didn't like me after all. Such stupid fears for a Snow Queen to have."

"That's a judgement you're making though. Just because you think they should be trivial doesn't mean those fears weren't very real to you at the time."

"They were, and they were strong enough that everything started snowballing out of control. How do I stop that from happening again?"

"You probably won't like to hear it," Cupid's wings fluttered slightly, "but the best way to deal with fears is to face them. You see, the body can only maintain fear for so long, unless you keep feeding it. By accepting your fear and working through it, you can actually calm down and ride out the fear until you can let it go."

Elsa considered it. "That sounds difficult."

"I didn't say it would be easy, but remember, we're going to take this in small steps. If you're afraid of spiders, jumping into a pit of spiders is only going to make things worse for you, but if you tackle something small, gain confidence in it and keep moving up to something harder, then you'll eventually be able to tackle the big things. It is hard, but it can be done. Is it something you'd like to do? I can help you figure out a plan to tackle this if you want."

"The whole thing sounds awful and terrifying, but, if it works..." Her chest tightened, the idea gaining steam. "Grimm, what's this weird feeling I have right now? I'm frightened and I almost feel like crying, but the thought of things working out is so intense!"

Cupid smiled, dimples lighting up her face. "That sounds like hope to me."

"Hope. You're good at this Cupid. I can learn a lot from you, if you'll help me."

"I'd love to! Let's work out that plan."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get out. RL has been kicking my butt lately. Thanks for all the reviews and I hope you guys are enjoying the story. I love hearing from you guys! This chapter was a little harder to write because I finally had to introduce some problems to the story and things got way more personal than I ever planned. I'm not too happy with the polish, but I wanted to get this out pretty badly, so here it is.
> 
> Chapter / universe notes:
> 
> \- Things I've totally made up: the stuff about Maid Marion splitting with Robin Hood. It's not canon, just a headcanon of mine. Also Cerise's Raven's "argument." I can just see them teasing each other about their tastes in boys.
> 
> \- But you know was IS canon? The CPR thing between Apple/Darling. Yup. (Takes place in Dragon Games.)
> 
> \- "Bookball" is basically a "football" stand in, but the game is played with a giant book instead of a ball.
> 
> \- "MirrorCasts" are like Podcasts I guess. This universe's "internet" is the "MirrorNet" so technology always has a "Mirror" in it somewhere.
> 
> \- Cupid's advice is loosely based on cognitive behaviour therapy and exposure therapy, in case anyone is interested. I didn't feel like getting deep into the nitty gritty of either, but I thought maybe for once Elsa should get some therapeutic advice on how to tackle her anxiety.


End file.
